Most online stores start with manual work: the order arrives by email, someone enters it into the invoicing software, creates the shipping label on the courier’s platform and updates the stock. While orders are few, it works. As they grow, errors, delays and overtime begin. The answer is integration.
What “integration” means in practice
Your business systems exchange data automatically, without anyone copying it. The most common integrations for an online store are:
- ERP or invoicing software: orders flow in automatically, the invoice or receipt is issued, and products, prices and stock are updated from the ERP to the store.
- Couriers: the shipping label is created from the order itself, the tracking number goes to the customer automatically, and the order status updates when the parcel is delivered.
- Tax reporting: in Greece, invoices are transmitted to the tax authority through the myDATA platform. This usually happens through the ERP or e-invoicing provider you already use; the store simply has to give it correct and complete data.
- Payments: the bank or payment provider updates the order, so you know what has been paid without checking accounts.
Where to start
Don’t try to connect everything at once. Start where the most time is lost or the most errors happen. For many stores that is stock: when the store sells something that isn’t there, the cost in cancellations and unhappy customers is high.
Which system is the “source of truth”
The most important decision in any integration is where the correct version of each piece of information lives. Usually:
- products, prices and stock are defined in the ERP and flow to the store,
- orders and customers are created in the store and flow to the ERP,
- invoices and receipts are issued by the ERP or the e-invoicing provider.
When it isn’t clear which system wins, the data starts to drift and the errors come back.
Mistakes we often see
- Integration without monitoring: when something fails, nobody finds out until a customer complains. Every integration needs logging and error alerts.
- Solutions stuck on one version: an ERP or WooCommerce update breaks the integration, and nobody knows how to fix it.
- Leaving the accountant out: integrations that touch invoices and tax reporting must be designed together with your accountant.
Before you start
Write down which ERP or invoicing software you use, which couriers you work with, which e-invoicing provider transmits your invoices, and how many orders you have per month. With that, a first estimate is easy. See what we do for online stores, or our system integrations.